Nothing Lasts Forever
by Linker27
Summary: “Go Home, Link. Home... Where you are supposed to be... The way you are supposed to be...” Home is where your heart is, right? But when your home is taken away, what happens to your heart? Spoilers for OOT and MM. Revised Edition.
1. Chapter 1

Standard Disclaimer: I have no connection to Nintendo or the Legend of Zelda franchise, and I have no intention of making money off of their work.

Author's Note:

Nothing Lasts Forever officially began on the 7th of August, 2005, though I perhaps wrote the first chapter on the 6th. The real story, though, began when I first beat Ocarina of Time, the first time I ever cried because of a video game. People often say that you don't get as attached to video game characters because unlike in films or books, the character is merely an extension of your own personality. In some cases, I couldn't agree more. Where I usually start arguing is when they dare suggest that it has anything to do with the character's speech (or lack thereof), that decides whether a character is real.

NLF started as just a scene - a single point that I needed to express. It might be general consensus that Navi is a pest, but that in no way means that Link, the character, wouldn't have loved her. I heard one too many laughs as players watched Navi fly away through the high window, and not near as much sympathy as it seemed to me that Link deserved. One thing led to another, and soon I had a full story of loopholes and arguments that I needed to write out.

It's been two years and two days since the last words were written; the final chapter went up on June 3rd, 2006. And after a month of slow boring revisions (because editing is dull thankless work), the revised edition is going up, no thanks at all to Lamia (who said that she'd beta, but "left the printout in her locker" or "didn't dare look through it at work" or "didn't feel like it.") And yes, you deserved that, Lamia.

Before I begin, I have one last thing that I need to say: Thank You. To everyone who's read NLF, to everyone who's reviewed it, and added it to their favorites list or author alert: thank you. To everyone, but especially to Chaos Wielder, Lady Turmoil, and RWG. (They're all the same person, so the rest of you know.) Not only did you teach me how to write a good review, I don't know if NLF would have made it to the end without you. Kudos is about all that I can give, but as a token of my appreciation, this one's for you, Chaos.

* * *

_**Nothing Lasts Forever**_

**Part the First**

"Nothing lasts forever." That was the first thought that ran through my mind as the world spun back into place. The cold stone of the Temple of Time replaced the warm sunlight and peaceful clouds, and the monks' low chanting replaced the sweet lull of the ocarina I had come to think of as mine. For a few, brief seconds, I relished in the distant sound of dogs baying in the empty streets. It was over. My duty was done, and I could finally return to my old life, the life before nightmares and curses and madmen. I would be able to live those seven years, for real, not pass them by unconscious in a world beyond sight. Feeling happy and strong and alive, I basked in the soft golden light of the Temple.

When Navi started drifting towards the high window, a stab of fear shot through me. Why would she leave? The Deku Tree told her to be my guard, after all. I could barely see her through the golden light when the realization hit. It was over. I didn't need to be protected anymore. And having a fairy might have been a normal part of life for any other Kokiri, but I never really was one of them, even before I knew the truth. Understanding didn't make it hurt any less, I noted. So much had changed, in so little time. Before, I didn't have a fairy, but I still had Saria and my other friends behind me. Shunned as I was, I could still call myself Kokiri, then. And afterwards, when I finally had what I had dreamed of all my life - a fairy, and with her proof that I belonged in the forest - I was told I would have to leave, perhaps never to return.

Could I go back that the place? Without Navi, and the buffer that she provided me from Mido's torments? The Deku Tree, dead now, certainly wasn't going to assign a new fairy to me. I wasn't one of them, anyways. I knew that. The longer I stayed, the more obvious it would have become; I wasn't sure I could bear that. I couldn't let time take everything from me, not like that. Better to part ways while I still could still walk away proud.

I thought of Zelda's last words, as she said goodbye in the clouds. _"Go home, Link. Home... where you are supposed to be... the way you are supposed to be." _How ever much I wished otherwise, the Forest couldn't be my home, not any more. Looking up at the window that Navi had vanished through, squinting my eyes against the bright light, I made a wish. I wished with all my heart to find a place, somewhere, with friends and peace and happiness: a place that I could call home, someday. The light seemed to grow even brighter, and blinking back tears, I turned my eyes away.

My sigh echoed through the empty room. There wasn't anyone who would have known to greet me at my return, or would have if they had known, but the surrounding quiet still seemed bitter. There wasn't even anyone who knew I had been gone, though if Zelda suspected, I wouldn't have been surprised. No one here would be drinking to freedom from Ganondorf's reign; if I wanted to celebrate the occasion I would do so alone. There would be a celebration there, I knew, and I wondered if they would even realize that the hero wasn't at the party. Probably not. Why would they bother worrying about loose ends when there was merry-making to be done? I could just see it. There would be a huge bonfire, with the Gerudo and the Gorons dancing closest to the flames. Hylians and Kokiri would hang farther back, grinning, but not so happy as to loose all reserve. Perhaps some of the more adventurous Kokiri would dance among the Gorons, just for the fun of it. The twins, definitely. Perhaps even a few Zora would attend, though not many leave their waters for long.

Suddenly, I wanted to go as far away as I could. I didn't want these memories that I shouldn't have. I wanted to be normal: just another Kokiri. I ran out of the Temple, stumbling as I sprinted towards the drawbridge. I made sure not to run too close to the night-prowling dogs. I didn't want even a mutt near me right then, even dogs had too many memories attached to them. Richard, and through him Talon and Malon and Epona... I wondered what would become of Epona, if Ingo didn't raise her for Ganondorf and I didn't need to rescue her. I wondered if she'd be happy.

I pondered where I could go as I crossed the bridge. Everywhere, it seemed, was tied to memories, of the future if not of the present. I wasn't sure which would hurt more, but I didn't want to deal with either set. I didn't want to forever be tormented by the thought of Epona standing ready for a run, or the carpenter's son, or the beggar underneath the stairs. An old conversation with Saria came to mind, and I knew I had found my answer. Once, she had told me that the forest was linked to many places, hidden paths that existed not in this realm, but another. Perhaps, I thought, I could use the woods to find a way into a different land, some place completely unlinked to Hyrule.

As I came to the hill's crest, and looked down at the two rows of trees lining the forest path, I heard a familiar noise. At first, I couldn't place it, and the irrational part of me, still sore from her departure, thought it was Navi coming back. When I turned and saw Epona's slight form daintily walking up the hill towards me, I instantly forgot my disappointment. Epona, after all, hadn't ever left like Navi had. I gently stroked her coat, so soft compared to her coarser adult hair. Absently, I started humming Malon's song, and Epona nuzzled against me, nearly knocking me over with her weight. As I tried to say goodbye, she gently butted my hand with her head, urging me to continue stroking her. After the third failed attempt, I gave up, and started walking towards Kokiri Forest with her by my side.

When I approached the pathway into the Forest, I expected her to neigh in fright and turn around. Epona, however, seemed to have no such plans. She stopped in front of me, turning so as to let me up on her back. I obeyed, confused, and as soon as I was seated, she walked into the Forest, hesitating only slightly as she passed the threshold. Without my direction, she took me up the gentle slope to the Lost Woods, and I decided to let her go where she willed. I soon lost track of the turns as she led me farther and farther into the woods: farther than I had ever gone. We traveled slowly, leisurely. After all, it would have been pointless to hurry. At dusk of the first day, suddenly everything changed. The grass, the trees, even the air was different. Taking a deep breath, I knew that I could make a home in this new land, and be truly content.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part the Second**

When the skull kid came, I could have laughed at the irony of it all. Must I forever be tortured by demons and madmen? For the skull kid was a demon. Even then, when he was still somewhat human, I could feel it: the power flowing from his mask. It was like Ganondorf all over again. No. It was worse, because the skull kid shouldn't have been special at all. He wasn't a preordained king, chosen by fate and by magic. He was only a lonely imp, helped in his trickery by two fairies. He had nothing, really, only what he could take from unsuspecting travelers. He just had to take the one mask that would give him everything and nothing, all at once.

Majora... I don't know who he was, but he was strong: too strong, perhaps. A demon that couldn't live in a land without slaughtering every living soul in it. So he had to destroy it all. And I was, once again, caught in the middle.

Sometimes I imagine the fates, at least how I view them. Three old women, as old as the Twinrova Sisters, gathered around a chess board, moving pieces towards checkmate. Sometimes I'm a pawn, fighting for one side or another, and sometimes I see myself as the King, the head of a crippled army.

In the whole catastrophe with Majora, I was a pawn: a single soul against a king with the power of a hundred men. I made the eight space journey, through all the lands of Termina, and became something more. Just before the last fight, in the field on the moon, I was promoted. I was given the tools to make my pitiful power equal to that of the King's. And I beat him. Checkmate. I won, but afterwards, I wished I could have never gone to Termina. Because regardless of what I had gained, I lost everything that I'd had before. Forever, though, this time. With Ganon, when the game was done, the pieces were put away. That wasn't to say I enjoyed being shoved back through the Door of Time, but I'd have endured a thousand lost lives rather than suffer through Termina's endgame that once. Because in Termina, there was no going back. The mask became real, as much a part of me as Majora became an extension of the imp. Even if I could have cast it aside, I wasn't complete without him anymore. I had been changed too radically for that.

And that was the lowest blow of all. Everything I had ever known had been taken from me, just a few 'days' – if you don't count how ever many times I fiddled with the time-flow – earlier. And then, to find that I was not even my own person any longer.

I could have wept, with the irony of it. Zelda's words again echoed though my mind. "_Go home, Link! Home… where you are supposed to be… the way you are supposed to be." _ Bitterly, I wondered if she had known what my future would hold. I could never be "the way I was supposed to", not after all that had happened. It was impossible. Perhaps before Termina I could have found out what that way might have been, but I destroyed even that slim chance. There was no supposed to be, any longer. I would merely have to search out my own way. I wondered if I'd ever find it.

Perhaps, one day, I thought, I will go mad, like Majora did, ages past. And the Gods will seal my soul into a mask, and the story will begin again, a new Mask, a new Hero. Or perhaps seven wise ones will bind my spirit in the pits of hell, and I will curse the men who bind me as loudly as Ganon did... They will call me a demon, then. As I called Majora one...

Perhaps, though, _I_ will not be the one who changes. Maybe I will still be there, a small human mind, enshrouded by the demon. I pray for that. I don't want to be a demon... I don't want to destroy the world... I was left to wonder, though, should that time come, would I be able to say the same?


	3. Chapter 3

**Part the Third**

When I awoke after I had defeated Majora, I heard a sound so similar, so sweet... For a few blissful seconds, I thought it was her. I had started to speak, to call out to her, when I remembered. Navi was gone, and she wasn't coming back. Opening my eyes, I saw two fairies. Brother and Sister, I recalled. But somehow, the names eluded me. Tal? Tel? It didn't matter; neither was my dear friend.

I was just standing when the mask salesman came to me. What did he want? I wondered. The Mask was mine. I wouldn't give it to him. He spoke, but I didn't listen. He wasn't of any importance, after all. Then one word caught my attention: "Home". A burst of pain shot through me, and I wished for the sweet breezes of the Kokiri Forest, and Saria's woods. A bitter smile spreading across my face, I listened.

"... _there is a meeting, a parting is sure to follow... Whether forever, or merely for a short time..." _That was a lie, of course. Some things never left, some things were kinder than that. The God's Mask, I knew, wouldn't ever abandon me like Navi did. The two fairies nearby were another matter. Even as I stood listening to the mask salesman, I could hear their impatience, their fear. So eager to run as far away as they could. It seemed that the Boss of the Forest was right, all those years...? months...? days...? ago. _"Hey, Mr. No Fairy!" _Even with kin beside them, they were still deathly afraid of me. At least I wasn't completely alone, I thought, smiling.

They all left then, away from me. I didn't want to see the celebrations: the Festival of Time, right? I'd had more than enough of Time. There was more important work to be done, anyways. I didn't know what exactly, but something was waiting for me. The doors beneath the Clock Tower were lighter, easier to push than I'd remembered. As I walked downwards, I felt the wind shifting around me, greeting me. The Woods were near.

When I next looked up, I learned that my feet had led me out of the maze beneath Clock Town, and back into the Woods of the Lost. Glancing at the ground, I saw a small shard of bone jutting out of the dirt. A conversation of long ago came to mind. _"Anyone who comes to the Forest will be lost. Everybody, Stalfos. Are you going to be...too? Heh heh!"_ A dart of panic shot through me. Was I to become a monster, lost in the woods? I wasn't Kokiri, so would I? And how was it that I was able to stay alive, when I searched for Saria's forest meadow? _Saria_... Even the thought of her name brought sadness with it. I could hear that voice still, the cold voice of the Sacred Realm, comforting me as my one true friend was swept away. "._..will always be... your friend."_ Lies! It was all lies... They all hated me, didn't they? They just wanted me to disappear, all those years. I was just someone different, a freak.

I had been walking while I thought, paying little mind to the changing scenery. I stopped, though, when my straight path forward was blocked by a small tree. Considering the obstacle, I noticed an image, drawn in white at the base of the trunk. Four tall figures and two little ones. A thought struck me. Was one of the little ones, me?

The tree was quite unusual in itself. It looked as though one tree had started growing on the stump of another. Staring at the fluttering leaves, I felt echoing memories stir. Animals flocked there, once, and a _beautiful but slightly sad melody_ was played on an ocarina just like mine. But, something had happened. One of Majora's tricks, perhaps? Or Ganondorf's? As I gazed at the tree, it twisted. Brown wood changed to colored cloth. The branches swayed forcefully, and suddenly, before me was not a tree but a little boy, a Kokiri, playing an ocarina. The singing of the forest spirits grew louder, and I saw around me dozens of skeletal animals, running through the clearing.

Studying the boy again, I realized something: I knew him. He was a friend, once. Mido had put him to work, moving rocks and such. He always liked Saria... Suddenly, the boy's ocarina fell to the ground. And as the music stopped, they vanished. The animals, the boy, even the tree itself. And yet, the ocarina remained. I bent down to look at it more closely, and my breath caught in my throat. Tears sprang unwilling to my eyes. That ocarina... It was the ocarina that Saria gave to me. _Friends forever, won't we?_ How did this phantom boy have it? She had given it to me! I fell to the ground, franticly digging through my bag for the ocarina. It should have been there, yet I couldn't feel it. Thinking I must have missed it, I turned the bag inside out, allowing all my possessions to fall to the floor.

Brushing all I owned aside, I searched. There was no ocarina. The thought came suddenly. What of the Ocarina of Time? She made me promise to keep it safe. Didn't she? No. She, she took it back, when she sealed the Temple of Time. But, I had it! I had played it a hundred times over in the past week. Hadn't I?

I looked at my equipment, as it was all laid out before me. Nothing seemed out of place, except the missing ocarina. But, as I passed my gaze over the assortment, something glinted in the light. I quickly scooped up the object, and gazed at it. For a long moment I stared, not comprehending what it meant. The blue light shining dimly from the depths of the crystal calmed me, despite the raging fury in my heart. "_Nayru," _I whispered. I hadn't brought the Fairies' gifts with me to Termina, though. I knew that I hadn't.

Another realization occurred, much later than it should have. There were no masks. Twenty four I should have had, and yet there were none. No. I gave them all away, in the field. There was only one left. Looking over the items again, I scowled. It was as though I had never gone to Termina, though I still remembered the days there. That must count for something, mustn't it? I glanced down at my arm, searching for a fading wound, or a scar, anything to prove the journey. My arms were unmarked. I couldn't stand considering it any longer. Collecting my possessions once more, I stood, and resumed walking.

I wondered if I was going mad. The memories were there with me, and yet there was no evidence to support the claims. What if it wasn't real? What if I ended up just like any other Hylian who dared wander into the woods, lost to the darkness with no way out. I was going mad, before the curse turned me into a monster. Shouldn't I have been scared? But my breath was slow, and my hands were steady. Maybe, I realized, I was supposed to die. Maybe I'd find that home I was searching for in the halls of the Gods.

I realized where I was quite suddenly, as the music of the woods reached a crescendo. A left path through the trees, and a right, and I stood at the Zora Pool. I stood, smiling, where I had been when Mido apologized to me for the first time, years after he had last tormented me. When I remembered that it never happened, the smile fell from my face.

I turned, and stooped down besides the water to see my reflection. It seemed a good idea, somehow. My home, my life had vanished into nothing. And a part of me, the irrational fear that lingered in the depths of my mind, wondered if I would vanish, too. As I looked into the water, though, I wished that I had never considered the desperate act. I could see a reflection, but the face staring back out of the water wasn't mine. It was the face painted on the God's Mask, painted blue and red. And yet, reaching up to touch my face, I could feel only smooth warm skin.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part the Fourth **

I ran, as far and as fast as I could, darting through the passageways of the Woods. When at last I returned to my mind, a harsh rain had begun falling from the sky. My shoulders were already numb and cold. Shivering, I felt the air suddenly warm, and the cold vanish. It was as though something were blocking the storm's power.

With a frown, I wondered why power strong enough to stop the wind was being used for such a foolish purpose. Why use such grand power to make something weaker, when it could strengthen even the most gentle breeze into a storm capable of toppling the mountains towering behind me?

With a start I realized where I was. I could not even remember going though the city, yet I must have to have arrived at the top of the mountain path. It seemed quiet, though. I couldn't hear the city's rumblings, and even Kakariko Village below me seemed eerily still. Glancing behind me, I noticed something. The rocks seemed untouched and silent, as though they had been abandoned. The Gorons loved the rock of Death Mountain, though. They would never leave their home.

A gust whipped past, strong even through the force blocking the storm, and with it came the gentle sound of a voice, singing. A simple tune which entranced me with its power. It was as if the song was that of the goddesses themselves.

The Goddesses. The very thought of them brought fury. They were foolish enough to leave traces for mortal men to find, and learn from. They were stupid enough to grant mortals power equal to their own. If they hadn't gifted the Triforce to the Hylians, Ganon would never have existed, and my world would never have been forced to change! I would still have been just another Kokiri, if they hadn't interfered. The Goddesses were cruel. We were supposed to be the peaceful ones, us children. We were the ones who were to keep the balance, not tip the scales with swords. That was the job of the Hylians, the Zoras, and the Gorons. To fight, and kill, and slaughter. They were cruel: the goddesses and the other races both. They forced a little boy to grow up and be their pawn.

Remorse followed the rage's course, nearly as strong. The Goddesses! Embodiments of power, wisdom, and of life itself. What right did I have to disgrace their names? They were kind, and just, to _make mortal dreams come true._ The words rang false, even in my own mind, and I soon returned to surveying the land. The Gorons couldn't have abandoned their home, I thought. I decided to look, to see if I could be wrong. Stepping back through the stone archway of the city, I let out a cry of sorrow. The city looked as it had when Ganondorf had set loose the Lava Dragon: utterly deserted. And this time, little Link the Goron wasn't even there, rolling.

Pushing my way back out through the rain, I heard the sound again. That sweet song. Following the sound, I walked straight to the ledge overlooking Kakariko, and peered over the edge. The village lay in ruins. What happened here? I thought. What of Impa, and Anj- no, the cucco lady, what was her name? What of Dante and his little boy, what was he called? At last I found what I had been looking for. Someone was in the center of the debris-filled square, sitting on the stone siding of the well. I was so shocked to see someone alive amidst the rubble. Peering through the rain, I was able to make out that it was a boy, with ginger hair. The way he perched on the well looked familiar, and I was sure I knew him.

It was _him_. Mido. How, though? How could he alone have survived, of any that might have? If anyone were to survive the destruction, the last person it should have been was Mido. Weren't the Kokiri supposed to die if they left the forest? What was he, anyways? A stupid kid, who'd never grow up, no matter how long he managed to cling to life. In that moment, I found my hands reaching towards my bow and quiver, eyes searching for a flag to gauge the wind.

No... Gasping in shock, it took all my will to not fall flat on my face. I fell anyways, and barely managed to angle myself backwards, away from the cliff's edge. I... I was never fond of Mido and his bullying jokes, but to have something like that cross my mind. I've killed, when I was defending myself, but never murder. Never against a harmless foe. Even Ganondorf, I killed because it was necessary. It was the only way for me to get back my life, my sanity.

A cruel voice in my mind whispered, guiding my thoughts down paths untraveled. 'Hah. What sanity?' It said. 'What did you gain killing that King? Nothing - nothing at all. The foolish princess got safety for _her_ world, while you were sent back here, with Ganondorf nearly at the Temple courtyard. Who's to say that he wouldn't have grabbed the Triforce seconds after you returned? Who's to say that Zelda wouldn't have, if given the choice? Who's to say someone didn't?'

Movement from the figure below drew me from my dark thoughts. He seemed to be moving away, leaving. I didn't know why, but a feeling in my heart told me I couldn't let him leave. I felt that I needed to speak to him, before anyone else could.

Turning, I darted down the mountain path. The wind whipped past me, pushing me dangerously near the cliff. Still I ran, laughing with glee in the cold air. I couldn't say why I laughed, but there in the wind, I felt free. Perhaps I spent too much time swimming in Termina, but walking I could no longer feel that bliss, as though a barrier surrounded the path I took. But in that moment, with the wind pushing me near the brink, I felt… As though I could fall, and wasn't god-like in my luck. And drifting closer to the crumbling edge, as though I would fall, and die, and the sages would not reach my soul in time to tie it to their puppet-strings.

Smiling bitterly, I hurried on. I _must_ catch him, I thought. Before he leaves the battleground. No survivors, no prisoners. Weren't they all supposed to be dead? He could not be allowed to escape. I wouldn't let him.

I ran through the broken gates of Kakariko, and a thought for the old gate-guard crossed my mind. With no one standing watch now, I wondered if he had lived to see his son, and to give him that mask. It was the Keaton mask, though the face wouldn't fool a real one. I wondered if he ever got time off, to spend with that little boy of his.

I caught up with Mido just outside the entrance to the village graveyard. I wondered why he was going to that place. He wasn't a ghost, as I could see him without the truth-lens. But what business would a Kokiri have in a Sheikah's Graveyard? Who would be buried there, that Mido would visit the place?

The cemetery was larger now. Dante's house was gone, and the graves extended nearly to the stone archway. As I followed Mido cautiously through the haphazard rows of tombstones, my gaze darted from side to side, reading inscriptions as I passed. Ingo. Talon. Impa. I stumbled at that. If one of the sages was dead, then there truly was no going back. Not that I could have without the ocarina, but... Soon, Mido came to a stop. He was standing towards the back of the Graveyard, in what appeared to be the first new row of graves. The row consisted of three large monuments, each nearly equal in size to the stone above Sharp and Flat's graves. He knelt beside the center grave, the smallest of the three, and bowed his head. I slowed as I approached him. A shiver of dread made its way slowly up my spine. With certainty, I knew nothing good would come from discovering the words engraved in the cold stone.

I glanced to the sides, to avoid searching out the carven words. On the left, two graves stood with a single headstone. I tried as hard as I could to not focus on the lettering, but I did read that the two buried were twins. On the right, the same, but with three graves. That stone was covered in writing, carefully etched scrawl engraved in every inch of the rock. The print was too small to read, and I was thankful.

A choking sob tore my gaze from the neighboring graves. Peering down at Mido, it occurred to me that he should have seen me following. But still he ignored my presence. For a moment, I considered tricking him, scaring him with the prospect of some Poe come to visit. But dread kept me from it, and kept me silent as well.

I didn't know how long I stood there, waiting. A while, I was certain, as my legs began to tire. When at last Mido stood and turned to leave, two things happened. I saw the name on the tombstone, and Mido saw me.

We gasped, simultaneously. A look of rage crossed his face, but I was too shocked to notice or care. For engraved into the stone were the words:_ "Here lies Saria of the Kokiri. May her soul rest with the spirits of the forest."  
_


	5. Chapter 5

**Part the Fifth**

My only friend was dead. In that moment, I swore I would find whoever had killed her and make him pay. Whoever it might have been, I swore I would hunt him down, and destroy him for his crimes. My face was wet with tears. Bringing my hand up, I hurriedly wiped away them away. If Mido saw me crying, I thought. Even if his face was tear-stained as well. After all, the cruel Boss of the Forest didn't care about anyone... "Except Saria…" I whispered to the rain.

Mido moved then, my voice causing him to spring into action. He leapt at me, screaming in rage, as he drew a knife from his boot. I dodged it easily, without even bothering to draw my sword. A little kid could never beat me in a fight. Laughing, I struck. My fingers coiled around his small wrist, twisting and tightening. He cried out in pain, and dropped the dagger to the ground. The sound drew another laugh from my throat. Keeping Mido at arm's length, I knelt and gathered up his weapon. It was a good blade, slightly decorative, but still serviceable. Holding the knife at the ready, I reached threateningly towards him, taunting. His eyes widened in fear, and he trembled. His lips moved, witty lines failing in his mouth, his tongue frozen in terror. After a moment, he drew up the strength to speak, and a single word escaped him.

"Please..." He whispered. And everything fell apart.

I dropped the knife, and the metal clanged against the stone path at our feet. The sound gave way to silence, as both of us wondered what had just occurred. For a few moments the world was still, and neither of us moved. Eventually, my hands clenching as I considered what I had nearly done, I let a small noise escape me. He looked up, then. Had my voice always affected him so?

"Why?" His tone made him seem tired, old. Nothing like the disdainful sneer that he should have spoken with. With a burst of pity, I realized that he sounded even more tired than he had when he asked a stranger for forgiveness, that day. "Why everything, Link? Why is everyone dead, but me?" He laughed a cold, hard laugh. And I knew that if he were given the chance, one day, Mido of the Kokiri would kill me. And I could care less.

He fled, later. Bitterly, I asked myself who wouldn't. I almost had slit his throat, after all. And I had wanted to. Instinctively, my hand tightened around the dagger still grasped in my palm. I looked downwards, clinically. Blood shone on the dagger, fresh and brigh- I blinked. The metal was cool and dull, the silver shining meekly in the firelight. 'Murderer!' the cruel voice in my mind shouted. No, I replied. I wasn't. I couldn't be.

A swish of fabric, and a familiar cackling sounded in my ears. Shivering from something besides the cold winds, I stood. The spirit had already begun its hunt, circling lazily. 'Surely the damned spirits don't believe the dead can defeat me?' The voice was mocking, yet this time the scorn wasn't directed at me. Still the Poe circled, making no move to attack. Why leave me alone, though? Poes feed on hatred and sorrow, why would they stand idly by? The deep, cynical voice rose again. 'They see you for what you are. A murderer, a bringer of destruction. They will wait, and they will follow you.'

As I sank to the ground, more spirits came, until a ring of Poes surrounded me. Not attacking, nor threatening. They watched me, never hesitating. They watched, and waited.


	6. Chapter 6

**Part the Sixth **

Blinking wearily, I squinted upwards. It was dark, an hour before dawn, perhaps. I could barely make out the small form above me. A wind blew through the graveyard, dragging rustles from the grass, and a slightly louder sound from the figure above. Laughter. It hardly seemed a fitting noise for a graveyard, especially after the terror Ganon wrought. No mother would have dared let her child out of sight after dark. Not with the demons and monsters that roamed the countryside. Again my thoughts drifted back towards the broken village behind me. _A land where only the dead roam... _What brought this destruction, this ruin? What new darkness had arisen? A face flashed through my mind, a little boy leaning against a tree in the center of an empty field. "..._good guys against bad guys. You're the bad guy."_

That little laugh sounded again. Wearily, I stood. The sky was beginning to brighten; I had been lost in thought for a while. It was still dark, but I could see. A little girl stood in front of me. Her face was completely hidden by the shadows, but even in the dark her eyes glinted with ardent livelihood. "Hi." She said. "You used to run around Castle Town, and cut up the grass, before _it_ happened. After that, Mama made us come here to Kakariko. She said we'd be safer here. Did you ever notice me? I never could catch that silly Cucco."

I don't know how long I stood there, with my mouth wide open. Too long, I thought, closing my jaw with a click. "Hello." I said, nervous, though I couldn't say why. "Yes, I saw you. A little yellow dress, right? You'd spend hours chasing that chicken, I remember. What are you doing out here at night, though? Aren't your parents worried about you?"

I could practically see the girl's – I needed to learn her name – happiness fade away. I wondered what I had said. She frowned, and her eyes filled with glistening tears._ All dark and gloomy, almost like it could start crying any second now... How sad..._

"Mama couldn't come with me. None of the adults can. None of us kids know why, but they say it hurts too much to leave the ever-dark. Once Daddy mentioned something about being too old to cross plains, but Mama shushed him."

"What do you mean, 'ever-dark'?" I squinted, trying to make out the girl's face through the lightening shadow.

"Well, that's what it is, isn't it? It's for_ev_er. And it's dark. Ever-dark. That's what Mama calls it when she's hoping, at least. She says that the messenger went mad, and brought everyone to the ever-dark, and she wished for a new hero to come and save us. You knew all that, though, right?"

_...expected their messenger had arrived, but... You're just a little kid! _"Why should I know?"

She frowned, looking up at the pre-dawn sky as if waiting for something to happen, and drew deeper into the shadows of the graveyard. "How could you not know all about what happened here? Do you not remember? When I was really little, Mama used to tell me how the good would always beat the bad. When we moved, I found out she was wrong. Only a blacker power can beat back the darkness. Light just holds us down, until the moon rises again. And by that time, it was too late to matter, because the darkness followed us here to Kakariko." A small tear glinted on her cheek. _...shines brighter than any other in the land! They fall from what looks to be the moon's eye…_

The sun was rising. Dawn hadn't officially arrived, but I knew it would come soon. She looked up again, with that odd wariness... As the cock crowed, she stepped forth into the light. A small disfigured girl smiled shyly up at me. The left half of her face was rotted away; the macabre flesh curled up and blackened. Her left hand, formed by only bone and sinew, was picking at the fabric of her dress – the same yellow dress, now faded so much the cotton could well have been parchment. Her eyes, an expressive purple-blue _...the spirits whispering "Look for the eye of truth..." _gazed up at me with regret and weary acceptance. "Why did you have to follow us, "Hero of Time"? Why did you have to come and bring the darkness with you?" _this land...drenched in blood... _"Now it's just _a place where troubled, regretful spirits gather..._"

As the sun crested the walls surrounding the cemetery, a wave of light poured down upon the ground. And with a noise I had heard so often walking through the fields of Hyrule, the ground rent open, and with a flash, the little girl fell back into the darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

**Part the Seventh**

I ran. _...and when you're the bad guy, you just run..._ As far and as fast as I could, I sprinted away from the broken village. I didn't know where I was going, but it didn't matter. I just knew I had to get away from people, away from myself. If I kept running, I thought, no one could find me, and nothing could hurt me. I just needed to run, until I couldn't anymore. I _had_ to.

I eventually came to rest, out of breath, and found myself near the fork to Lake Hylia and the Gerudo Valley. Making a quick decision, I turned towards the Valley of Thieves. I would go into the desert. A self-exile, of sorts. If there was no one around, there was no one I could hurt. My mind went back to the little girl. I had killed her. The thought seemed unreal, but I knew it was truth. And if I killed a child, how many more did I kill to reach her? 'Murderer!' _Pathetic little fool! Do you realize...I will rule the world!_ Shaking the thoughts away, I refocused on the road. The log bridge was just ahead, I noted. Deftly, I walked across it, not even sparing a glance down as I had the first time.

Coming to a stop, I blinked, confused. I had gone to the Thieves' Fortress as a child, I knew. The bridge, though, looked as it had when I had first gone to the fortress: worn down, and broken. Cursing my luck, I sat on the edge of the cliff, and thought. I had planted the magic bean, but the plant wouldn't be able to bear weight for several years, if I could reach it anyways. Scowling, I turned my mind to other means. If there was no bridge, I needed to make one. _ We six will gather our power to create a bridge to the castle..._ Suddenly, the idea came to me. The medallions. With the spirit medallion, Nabooru granted me her power. Could I use that to get to the desert?

I kept the medallions in a separate pouch of my bag. Swinging the pack off my shoulder, I rooted through the compartment. Grabbing the golden medallion of spirit, I lifted it from the bag, and grasped it firmly in both hands. "Nabooru." I whispered, feeling decidedly foolish. "You gave me this to add your power to mine. I need your help. I wish for passage into the Land of Spirit. Can you grant me entrance?" A whistling wind arose before I had finished speaking. And out of the ground, a golden light began to shine. It spread along a line, a shining wire stretching from the desert to my feet. The golden strand expanded, and with a flash of blinding light, a narrow pathway spanned across the canyon.

Cautiously stepping off the ground, I found, with the same relief I'd felt once before, that the bridge was sturdy. This time, there was no lava, only the rushing river below. Instinct told me not to linger, and I rushed across the bridge. As soon as my feet were back on solid ground, the bridge winked out of existence. A voice whispered in my ear, growing weaker and weaker until it faded from existence entirely. "_If thou hast a strong desire or dream..." _

The fortress lay empty and quiet in the morning light. _...has no business here..._ The gate to the desert was drawn shut. And, I realized with a sinking heart, I knew no way to open it. Thieves hold their secrets closer than their souls, I'd learned, and the pathway to the Desert Colossus was especially sacred. I knew of no other race that was willing to enlist even the dead to guard their secrets. I was trapped, I realized. Caged in like a wild beast. There was nowhere else I could go. Forgotten emotions spread through me, burning through my flesh like acid. And with them came the painful urge to run. They were going to lock me away, again. I was so close to getting free, and they were going to catch me, and seal me away once more. I needed to find a way, some way, no matter the cost. I could not let them catch me. Not now, not when I was so close...

I blinked. The inclination to flee faded, leaving only the oppressive silence behind. You could hear the scouring winds, but there were no sounds of life. It was the self-same silence as that of the broken Castle Town, and the scrub-infested Kokiri Forest. _...a fine time for business like this..._ The silence of the abandoned places, the empty cities. However, neither in the town or nor the forest could I feel such dread coursing through my veins. Because this time, I could well have brought about the darkness that threatened the land. I rubbed absentmindedly at my left hand, trying to dispel the shadows of fear in my mind. _...the time has come to test thy courage..._ Pausing, my right hand suspended in the air, I wondered when I had developed a nervous habit. _The one who holds the Triforce of Courage_... With a bitter smile, I wished that I was powerless. If I had no power, I could never again do what that little girl said I had done to Kakariko, and Death Mountain. Shaking my head to dismiss such thoughts, it suddenly seemed as though all strength had left me. As though all the power in the world suddenly vanished. All that remained with me were vague feelings of anxiety: claustrophobia, frustration, and forlorn desperation. And exhaustion. Stumbling wearily up the steps, I walked into the Gerudo Fortress. I moved slowly through the halls, looking eagerly for a bed to sleep on. There wasn't one to be found. Eventually, I collapsed, back against a stone wall. The day was just shy of noon, and the stone was blessedly cool. Closing my eyes, I blocked out the world, and slept.

--

A pale specter hovered above a sleeping youth, waiting. He took the form of a young man. His wide eyes shone with a wild glint, and his expression was one of disgust. 'Soon', he thought. 'Soon I will be the one sleeping, and you, a measly speck in the dark of my mind. After all, how loud is a child capable of screaming, when compared to the voice of a God? Humans... How pathetic they are, scrambling over each other in their haste to avoid the slightest pain'. He smiled, a dark grin with teeth bared in the moonlight. 'Soon.'

The spirit glided away from the boy, moving deep into the fortress's halls. He wandered the pathways, noting defenses, weakness, and the like. His lack of corporeal form allowed him full access to the secret chambers of the thieves. After a time, a debilitating pain wracked his form. The boy was awakening, and the spirit hurried in the direction of the body, knowing that, should the boy wake before he returned, he would lose his place, and everything would be set back once again.

As he came to the place where the boy lay, asleep, he shared a single thought with the Hylian. 'Soon, Boy. You may have set back my plans with your burst of sympathy for the fairy-child, and your loss of heart here, but I am the stronger of us. Soon, you will loose entirely to the darkness, and I will rise up in your stead. And what's left of your precious Hyrule will be annihilated.'


	8. Chapter 8

**Part the Eighth**

The moon was just beginning to rise over the desert. The sand was blue-white in the pale light. A wind blew up. The sand rose and swirled, surrounding the lone form who stood in the dried oasis. The man, clothed in loose garb, perched upon a small rock with practiced ease. Another figure appeared out of the dust, a young woman dressed in similar attire. She bowed as she approached, reverently. "My King." She said, and waited for instruction.

"Fetch me my deputy, girl. And be quick about it. And when that blasted wretch has been found, go and find out what the count is. We must not die out. After all, that demon was only a _child_. He should be easy prey to our magicks. Go!" The young page hurried off, running easily through the sand towards their hideout.

As soon as the girl was out of sight, the King turned towards the oasis, starting hard at the dried pool. The tree there flickered, and out of nowhere, a young boy of eleven or twelve faded into sight. "Who are you?" The king asked, calmly. "You aren't one of mine, so you must have escaped from the hideout. Smart kid. What's your name, boy?"

The child blinked, as though he did not realize that the man was speaking to him. After a moment, he stirred, and spoke in the clear voice of youth. "I didn't escape from the temple. I had a horrible dream last night, and I decided I wanted to tell you about it. In the dream, it was a beautiful clear day. But then, everything started to die from drought. And the grasses and the forest turned brown, like dried blood. And then, just as the last leaf was falling, dark storm clouds appeared over the land. And it rained. And then the world started healing. I wish I knew what happened next, but then I woke up." Pausing, the little boy frowned in thought. "And then this morning, you must have felt it too, when his heavy heart tipped the scales against the feather. It seemed like you should know, because of that."

The king looked down at the dry spring, his bewildered expression plainly etched upon his face. When his calm façade had been restored, the sovereign spoke again. "Who are you, boy?"

The child frowned, looking mournful. Then he grinned, a glint appearing in his eyes. "I'm the last of the Sheikahs." As soon as the ruler processed the child's words, he leapt forward with a roar. But the shadow child was already gone. "No! Curse you, Sheikah! I'll find you, and bring you here. And perhaps, when everything is done, you can be set free." His cry started as a shout, but dwindled until it was naught but a whisper in the wind.

When his deputy arrived, she found him laughing, a cold cruel sound which sent shivers up her spine and made her hand quiver with a hunger for steel. "Ah, good! You finally decided to show, eh, girl? To business, then. You and two others are to return to the fortress, scouting. You may pick one, but I want Nadine with you. And if you see that page, tell her to saddle my horse for a run."

The woman opened her mouth to protest, but wearily sighed instead. "Yes sir." She turned to walk back to the hideout, trying to decide which of her more loyal followers to take with her.

The King still stood, staring out across the sand, waiting. "I shall _not_ be beaten by a kid..." He whispered into the night.

--

I woke up as the blue light of the moon lit up the halls of the fortress. I stood, and started walking. I walked until I reached a small storeroom. Immediately upon entering I realized something was wrong. The room was small, a barely noticeable niche to the left of the main entryway. Junk filled most of the room, with cupboard haphazardly hanging on the walls. Nothing valuable remained, however, and I was struck with relief that they weren't all dead. Suddenly, a more important thought struck me. How did I find the storeroom? I'd never been to the place, and yet, I knew where to find it. Instinct? Luck? A cold...something ran down my spine. I could almost hear laughter, loud and echoing in the empty halls. _The pounding of the horse's hooves. A cry of rage. "You, there!" The hum of swords drawn...Fire...Pain...A glint? What? Something special, but what could have..._

With a gasp, I tore myself from the past. It was over. I killed him. He wouldn't appear out of the shadows, not anymore. I killed him. A nagging doubt remained, though. If Mido never apologized, how could my killing Ganon have made any difference...? No. _No_, I told myself. They wouldn't have done that, she wouldn't have allowed it. She must have known what she was doing. I just got confused, I told myself, because of the time and all. They wouldn't possibly send me to hell, not after what I did for them...

I started walking again, looking for something left behind that might have been useful. A left, a right, and I stood in the dining hall. Standing in the archway, I cast my gaze around the room. The fire pit did little to attract my attention, especially with nothing roasting above it. The tables were as they always had been. Nothing at all of interest. As I moved through the room, something on the wall caught my eye. A skull hung on there, surrounded by colored feathers. It reminded me of a beast I had fought in Termina. Goht. _Hurry! Chase after it!_ This skull was smaller, half the size, perhaps, but still easily that of a huge animal. I wondered why they hadn't taken the mark of honor with them when they left.

Shrugging the unanswered questions away, I walked up the slope besides the skull. The steps led me out of the fortress itself, out onto one of the balconies. To my left, there was a smooth wall, so I knew there was another level above me. The wall was short, just short enough to climb, so I scrambled up it, my arms doing most of the work. Following the rest of the path was automatic, though I didn't quite know where I was headed. Climb the vines to the top, and use the hookshot to go as far north as possible. Jump down and run out to the end of the path. And there I stood, looking out upon the fortress grounds, from the best vantage point the place had to offer.

I sat there for a while, just watching the sand blow across the fortress steps. It was sunrise when I became aware, once more, of the passage of time. Slowly stretching, I lay back upon the cool stones. Just as I closed my eyes, I turned my face to the side and saw an opening in the cliff wall. Standing back up, I looked more closely. A beam of wood was barely visible against the rock wall, beckoning me in. As soon as my hookshot sank into the wooden beam, I remembered the room. For I stood in a window, looking down into a stone cell. _Stupid kid! Get in there and keep quiet!_ Sitting on the window's ledge, with my back against the stone, I closed my eyes, and fell back into sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**Part the Ninth**

"_Link! The master sword is here! Hurry up!! ...deliver the final blow!"_ Zelda stood before me, her eyes pleading, pink crystal flickering around her. I was kneeling in the ruins of Hyrule Castle, the courtyard in shambles around me.

Ganondorf lay before me, unconscious, as he had when I first thought him dead. In my hand, a slightly decorative blade glinted against the skin of his throat. Just as I was about to finish my duty, the King of Evil's eyes opened, and he whispered a single word. "_Murderer_." At first, I didn't understand what he had said. When I did, I yelped, throwing the dagger away, and scuttled backwards, away from the man. I closed my eyes, shaking my head 'no' with every breath.

Zelda walked over, the rose-hued crystal lying shattered on the floor behind her. "Look what you've done, Link. Prophecies never lie. And yet, here you stand, not a ray of light from the forest, but another cloud, come to join the ones that already hang over this land. You've warped the world so much that there is no more truth. Lies stacked on lies: that's all this world is, Link. And it's your fault!"

Others came and joined her, shouting at me, accusing. Mido stood at the lead, his throat marred with a pale scar. "How could you do a thing like that?!" He asked, his voice soft and mournful. "_The Great Deku Tree withered_ because of you! We should have known you would join the King of Evil, and try to kill us all. Why, Link? Why is everyone dead?"

I woke up with a scream, darting up. My precarious balance lost, I fell into the cell I'd become so well acquainted with during my first visit to the desert. Not bothering to stand, I huddled there on the stone floor, trying to dispel the images from my sleep. I knew that it was just a dream, but the words echoed on nevertheless.

Shaking my head, I ordered myself to dismiss the thoughts. Regret ties down the soul, right? A fact I learned ten times over in Termina. _"You had a bad dream. You were just having a little nightmare." _ I told myself, unconsciously echoing the words of another child from another world. Standing at last, I quickly left the small cell, and started towards the archery range. I never quite got there.

A young boy, clad in the strangest mixture of reds and blues I'd ever seen, was perched easily atop the giant rock above the fortress steps. He giggled merrily when he saw me. "_You're the fairy boy from the forest_!" He said. At my cautious nod, he grinned. Then, slowly, his smile faded away. With a downwards glance, he asked, "What happened to you, Link? What did the world do to you that you would try to destroy everything in it?"

Ignoring the questions, I wondered. I had never met a boy like this in Hyrule, or Termina. And yet he knew me, knew my name. Examining the boy again, I found myself at a loss. Never before had I seen anyone with such a mismatched appearance. His tunic was a rich blue, like the color of the water medallion in my bag, and his boots and leggings were bronze-red. And yet, the oddly dressed boy seemed unaware of the attention his clothing surely brought him. I shrugged, and listened.

"_Will you play... with me_?" The boy asked. "My caretaker has... gone, and it gets lonely without any friends. Could you be my friend, for a while?" His unusual eyes looked up at me, entreatingly. His voice sounded familiar, and I felt as though I knew him. After a moment the child grinned. With a sly smile, and a glint in his oddly-colored eyes, he spoke. "_Well... Shall we play?"_

The familiar statement jarred in my ears. I backed away, reaching for my sword. Sensing my intent, the child spoke, entreatingly. "I'm sorry, Link. I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to play hide and seek. Come on, please?" Maybe it was the way he asked, as though it took all of his pride to say the words, but something in me gave in. Sighing, I nodded warily. "Great!" He said. "I'll hide first." And with a flick of his small wrist, the child vanished, giggling.

--

"Nadine! Scout ahead a little. I have something to... discuss with Aveil." The girl looked as though she wanted to protest, but knowing it would only make the Lone Wolf Thief more suspicious, she sighed, and spurred her horse forward. The leader among the troop grinned happily. Turning, she winking slyly to Aveil, who grinned as well, stifling a laugh. Nadine, still not twenty paces away, turned around, and glared briefly at the two. As she faced forward once more, she sharply dug her heels into the horse's flanks, and brought the mare to a gallop.

"Nabooru..." Said Aveil, a slow drawl showing her annoyance. "Why did we have to bring the rookie along? She's not even a good fighter, and that in itself marks her useless. Especially with that devil kid running the fields. She'll probably trip a wire or something, get us all killed..."

Nabooru laughed. "Sorry, Aveil. Remember, even if I hold enough power to claim a second, my word is nothing if it goes against the King's words. And the King wished Nadine to accompany us. The only thing we can do is keep her far enough away that she can't report us to Dragmire." She scowled distastefully, as though the name itself were sickening. "We know that Nadine's his, just as Dragmire knows I'm not as loyal as he could hope. But too many stand with me, so he can't kill me unless he has proof I'm a traitor. So long as that idiot can't gather any information, I'm safe. Just, not safe enough to sleep with my back to a door." The last was said with a wry grin, to counterbalance the weight of the statement.

The pair were nearly at the gate of their age-old fortress. Nabooru walked up to the stone wall to the left of the gate, and with a quick touch to one of the most inconspicuous stones, the portcullis began to rise. They nudged the horses gently forward, taking their time. Dismounting at the main entryway, the two split up. As Nabooru walked past one of the many cells in the fortress, she saw a pale glow from the corner of her eye. Turning, she unsheathed her twin swords. As soon as the metal was bare, a young boy appeared in the corner of the cell. "You seem familiar." He said, calmly. "Have I met you somewhere?"

Relaxing, Nabooru lowered her weapons. After all, what child could be so foolish as to try to beat the great Nabooru in combat? "What are you doing here, kid? Do you know where you are?"

The child frowned, indignant. "Of course I know where I am. I'm in the desert. Suddenly, the child's eyes went wide with excitement. "I know who you are!" He cut in, eager to give his news. "You're Nabooru, deputy to the Evil King. And you're one of the sleeping ones, not yet awakened to duty. My caretaker told me. Well, she helped me find the answers, before... Well, it's a rather moot point, now, but I've always known that, should the time come, I was to be the _Keeper of Knowledge..._ And now I am. Regardless of whether or not the chosen seven still live."

Nabooru shook her head in confusion. The child spoke in riddles and secrets, and not a word of it made sense. Somehow, though, the child knew her name and station, and that was enough to make him worthy of attention. To ignore such an informed stranger, even a child, would be to welcome in danger, and Nabooru was nothing if not careful. She began to speak again, this time with a more simple question in mind. "Who ar-..." She stopped. Perhaps it was safer to not question the odd child. It would not do to learn anything dangerous from his twisted riddles, after all.

The thief known as Nadine watched from the room's entryway with a cruel smirk on her face. Turning, she hurried to her horse. She began the journey back towards the colossus, desperate to bring this latest information to her King. A little boy, the Representative of Wisdom? A child!


	10. Chapter 10

**Part the Tenth **

Nadine scowled as she hurried through the rooms of the temple, glancing from side to side as she passed. "You, page!" She shouted, making the young girl stop dead in her tracks. "Tell me, where is our King?" Her voice was tinted with desperation. The page, standing across the octagonal room blinked slowly, confused.

"I believe that the King has gone for a morning run. I saw... Kira saddled his horse for him earlier this morning. Perhaps you might find him out on the dunes?"

Nadine grimaced, her dark eyes flashing in annoyance. In instants, she was out the door, leaving a perplexed page in her wake. She cursed under her breath as she ran back to her horse. "Why?" She muttered, indignant. "He sends me out to find him information, and when I have it he decides to _vanish_ from the world all together! If he _has_ used his power for something I'll never find him. Run, Neptune! Run! Find our Lord. Bring me to him." Leaning forwards, she urged her steed on, searching the dunes desperately.

--

I don't know what possessed me to play with the odd boy. Maybe... I don't know! There was something about him; it felt as though it were my job to do as he asked, no matter the cost. Even then, though... The Goddesses alone could have known where the brat had hidden. I rounded another corner, hoping to catch a glimpse of the illusive child. And instantly, I jumped back, praying that I had not been seen. When no alarm sounded, I cautiously peeked around the stone wall, again. Nabooru stood not three paces away, and another Gerudo could be seen further down, in the opposite hall. The Spirit Sage looked different, somehow, from how I remembered her. After a moment I realized. She was younger. Confused as I was at her appearance, it took me a while to realize something of greater importance. The kid was standing next to her, peering up with a grin.

I fled. I could feel the bitter agony of betrayal burning through my chest. After all, why else would the kid be talking to a Gerudo, especially the deputy to Ganondorf? He had turned me in. Rage slowly arose from the betrayal, and the familiar tapping of my feet against the stone brought war-drums to mind. He'll know the penalty of turncoats when I'm through with him, I thought. I'd pay them back for what they did to me! I couldn't see, couldn't hear anything around me. The staccato footfalls echoed in the nothingness. And then, suddenly, a soul-wrenching noise arose, like the beginning of Gibdo moans. Startled by the broken silence, I drew my sword; and the rasping of metal on its sheath joined the other sound in a sickening symphony. I spun around, hacking at... nothing. The room was empty. I sheathed the blade, letting the oft-heard sound sooth my jittery nerves.

I didn't dismiss the noise entirely, but I knew, that with the Gerudos aware of my presence, I couldn't linger for long. The path I was running down branched, left and right. One led up, and one led down. Hurriedly, I chose left, praying I had not just committed a fool's error. As I followed the hall down stone steps and out of the fortress, I sighed, knowing I'd been wrong. I couldn't chance turning back, though, with them after me. Carefully, I sidled across the grounds, staying as close to the fortress as possible, as though trying to soak up the shadows. Darting across the sand at the fortress's end, I hid behind the large rock there. My eyes strayed to the side, to a different boulder in a different world. For a moment, I saw him, the Keaton-mask child, and he said, as clear as day, "_I was turned into this by a strange imp wearing a mask._ You have a mask, too. Tell me: is your mask's dark power stronger than Majora's? In Termina,_ it was all a trick of the masked one who had upset things_. Whose trick is it, here?"

I blinked, and he was gone. Shaking the memories away, I turned, and, taking note of the open gate, walked into the desert. Wishing with all my heart to find peace in the dunes beyond the trials, I fished through my pack for the hookshot.

--

Nabooru had been talking easily with the wise youth when he disappeared. Blinking, she remembered what she had been told, and shrugged, believing the child gone. Moments later, however, she was surprised when the boy reappeared, and grabbed her wrist. "The _juror_ is about to meet the _thief_! We have to hurry!" And with a flash similar to that of deku nuts, the two vanished out of the fortress. Had anyone remained in the room, they might have seen a shadow of a feather float down to the ground, and fade away into the dust...

"Nabooru?" Aveil called as she approached. "All of a sudden, I couldn't hear you talking..." As she came fully into the small prison room, she paled. Turning, she ran for her horse.

--

'He doesn't realize, does he? Hah. What a fool boy. He has a steady will, and strength of heart, but he was just as oblivious as Majora's servant was. He doesn't remember what I di- what he did, when we returned to this world. He has heard some, from old acquaintances, but he is still oblivious to the truth, that it started well before that. Before even Termina, and Majora, and his dear friend Tatl. He doesn't see that it was all wishes and hopes, where the sky shines gold. He doesn't realize that all his dreams have come true. Soon, though, his final dream will become a reality, and I will emerge from the ashes, to make his nightmares truth, as well...'


	11. Chapter 11

**Part the Eleventh**

The organ cried; a slow dirge emerged from the pipes above. Two women, skin leather-brown with age, stood at the keys. Working together they played, the two separate melodies somehow joining into a union that belied the differences. The tinkling of the highest notes rang out like shattering icicles. The groan from the widest pipes echoed steadily, the beating of a fiery heart. The torches shuddered with the somber music, flickering and spitting. As the elegy rose to its peak, the two old women flickered with the fire, now standing close, gnarled fingers hovering side by side, wooden spiders walking across the keys. It seemed as though the forms meshed together for the final note, a single chord of mourning.

As the last echoes of the sound faded away to nothingness, the torches, one by one, winked out. When the final light died, the room seemed to shift; the once brightly lit chamber turned void-like, silent and black. After a moment, a laugh as cold as ice rose up, chilling the room. Footsteps, heavy with the pains of age, walked the chamber's perimeter. Fire leapt up from the torches as the crone passed. When the room was again lit, both women walked to the other, meeting in the center of the chamber. Hands, hideous and veined, stretched out. Fingers grasped, and with a surge of light, melded together. Twin laughs faded into one, which held a burning chill more terrifying than both others.

They were the _rouba_, the crones, come to seek their child's nemesis, and take back that which had been stolen.

--

I reached the place of the second trial quickly. The small doorway beckoned at me from the sand where it lay, half-hidden. After a moment of thought, I knelt over and began my descent into the small chamber below. With a screech, a keese leapt at me from its resting place on the wall. Raising my hookshot quickly, I used the tool against the bat, its metal hook ripping through the small bat-wings. I watched with a feeling of detachment as the slain keese fell to the ground, torn wings fluttering as it plummeted. A flicker of amusement shot through me, followed by annoyance. The stupid beast had thought it could harm me, and get away unscathed? A bat, when I had destroyed all those that might have been able to defeat me. Only one foe remained, and with his death, I would bring true despair to the world. I frowned. Suddenly, I realized I didn't remember what made me so sure of my success. What had I done?

My head spun – so fast I felt like a Flare Dancer – and I stumbled to the wall, almost falling on my way. I clung to the cool rock, wishing half-heartedly that the room was made of wood, not stone. I focused my hearing, begging to find something familiar, something from before I came to this land of blood and shadow. There was nothing. Nothing but the howling winds, and the scouring of the sand. Swallowing instinctively, I cast my eyes aside, desperate to find some shred of truth in the world that disobeyed all laws. Why? I thought. Why can't I remember?

It was all fading away, I realized. Everything that had happened before the sword and the stones, before the ocarina, before the nightmares... All that I could remember from before the nightmares came was darkness, and wishes. The rest of my life, it seemed, was lost to Time.

It was in that moment that I realized that all those wishes had come true. I had wished for a name, that wouldn't be called in scorn or mockery. I wished for a fairy, and for a life. It seemed as though I missed only one word in my wishing; the one word which made a world of difference. _Forever_. It was forever ago that I made those wishes in the woods, even before the nightmares began. And they all started to come true the day I found my first sword. I thought it would always been mine, then. Like the moon would always rise. But like the girl in my nightmares said, my very presence seemed to destroy the truths of age and season.

I got my name, yes, but it took away the one I had, however unwanted it had been at times. People stopped knowing who I was, seeing only "The Hero." And I was not the "Hero of Time" forever, was I? Since my return from Termina, my very presence seemed enough to destroy the world I had worked so hard to save.

Navi became my guardian, and my guide. And yet, the moment my duty was done, she left, and left me wondering. A little boy running on a grassy slope came to mind. The face a jungle warrior staring up at mine, unblinking. He had said something so sad, so bitter, that I made sure I remembered it, and looked for its truth. "_Your friends... I wonder... Do those people think of you... as a friend?_" When Tatl was so rushed to get away, I realized Navi had been the same. They both were my friends, my dearest friends, and yet I was left wondering if they ever really considered me a friend. Or was I just the means to a fairy-tale ending? Navi, after all, was following orders, fulfilling the Deku Tree's last wish. And Tatl, Tatl hated me with a passion, staying only so she could get to the Skull Kid, her friend, and Tael, her darling brother.

I got a life, certainly, and with it I received the knowledge that I'd been horribly wrong. I had had a life before, and when that life was altered, there was no going back.

--

A black steed moved across the desert. Its shod hooves thumped softly on the sandy dunes. Every few minutes, the beast would shiver, shaking away the quickly accumulating dust. He moved quickly, efficiently, seeming to know where the path would lead better than his master did. The rider was staring off into the distance, as if trying to see through the swirling sands into the land beyond. He was cautious, of course, and quiet in his travels. If his deputy were to hear the footfalls of the stallion, he would never find the information he sought that day. His eyes were cold and narrowed, and his mouth drawn into a sneer. Speaking quietly to himself, he said, "If I were looking for the Temple, where would I return to, after I lost my way?" The realization came quickly. "He's hiding in the barracks, isn't he?"

Had any happened by, they might have frozen in terror at the sight. The man who was once known as Dragmire stood still, deceptively calm, though his red eyes revealed his agitation. The scarlet orbs flashed with rage, a crazed light shining from the depths of the madman's soul. This was the reason he was feared. This was not that man, Dragmire. This was the beast whose name struck men blind with terror. This was the thief, _ganef_. This was the devil, the death-god, _Gunab_. This was Ganon. The Magic Thief, whose name was been twisted by legend and fear.

As his eyes grew dark with anger, so did the air about him. The swirling dust crackled with a violent energy, jumping up to form a whirlwind around the King. The fool child will learn why I am called the King of Darkness, he thought. He will rue the day he was brought into this world, and he will die.

He spurred the sable steed onwards, towards the stone barracks. The charged air followed him, a trail of sparks in his wake. A grin adorned his face, splitting the hideous visage into halves. Leevers attacked his horse's legs, but the steed, armored against creatures of the desert, paid them no mind and hurried on. Occasionally, the power in the air grew too focused to be contained, and it lashed out, destroying the creatures in a flash of white. Still the King's urged his steed onward, eager to find the child that had stolen his pride and his name. The boy was to die.


	12. Chapter 12

**Part the Twelfth**

He came into sight of the barracks at sundown, the fading light of the horizon just strong enough to make him squint. Casting a spell as he stared into the reddish sun, he smirked. Seconds later, thunder crashed in the distance. By the time the stallion came to a stop in front of the stone hideaway, the first drops of rain were falling from the darkening sky. The night quickly turned as black as pitch, and had anyone looked over the sandy hills towards the barracks, the only light they might have seen came from a burning pair of crimson eyes.

Stopping, the king considered his choices. Neither climbing down into the barracks, nor jumping, was safe enough against a foe such as the demon. Just as the thief was about to risk a jump, a familiar sound echoed across the dunes, barely audible through the rain. Horse hooves. As the rider came into view, he laughed, teeth bared in a parody of a grin. "Nadine. You have news, do you? Well, girl, out with it!"

The young thief stuttered, suddenly uncertain. What if her news wasn't good enough for the King? Would if he was upset at her for leaving the traitors unattended? Blushing deeply, she began. "My Lord. I overheard Nabooru speaking with a young child. A boy, twelve or thirteen years of age, I'd guess. He had flaxen hair, and reddish eyes, a different shade, though, than yours, milord. The two were conversing, and the child referred to himself as the "Keeper of Wisdom." If you remember, my lord, you told your loyal subjects yesterday of how you received the essence of power from the gods? Well, I believe, sir, that the child I saw holds the essence of wisdom..."

Her words slowed, fading to silence as she finished. She bowed her head, blushing. A quiet laugh tore her from her self-deprecating musings. Hazarding a glance upwards, she was met with shock as her lord smiled in the gloom. Letting out a quiet sigh of relief, she stood, waiting for orders. They were not long in coming.

"Nadine. I always knew I could trust you to be loyal. You serve your people well. I have another job for you, if you are willing." Unknown to the young thief, her king's eyes flashed with malice as he spoke. "I require something from within these barracks. Jump down and fetch it for me." Eager to obey her lord, Nadine walked calmly to the stone building. Ignorant of her king's manipulations, she jumped down into the dark.

The impact with the rough stone floor was jarring, and before she could regain her balance, a noise behind startled her. Spinning to face the ladder, she let out a gasp as her King jumped down in front of her. He stood, surveying the room behind her. His eyes came to rest on something over her right shoulder, but before Nadine could turn to see what had caught her lord's attention, a familiar sound echoed in the small room. The twang of the bowstring was unmistakable. As was the scream, ripping from her throat not a moment later. The last thing her fogging eyes saw, as they slipped closed, was her king, stepping over her fallen body, calling up his dark magicks as he moved. He was smiling.

--

Nabooru collapsed, coughs wracking her shoulders. "Wha-what?" She stuttered as she regained her lost breath. "What did you just do?"

The little boy sighed, and sat down on a wooden box, surveying the land. They were just beyond the river of sand. Still too far, but close enough that they could walk, if need be. Turning to his confused companion, he began. "I don't have much time, because I wasn't lying earlier. There's going to be a big fight soon, at the stone place, between the other titled ones. And I have to be there, to help. But it's not going to wait for me, and I haven't the time to find the other sages, so only you can come with me. But even still, we have to try!"

Nabooru shook her head, torn between confusion and amusement. "Calm down, kid. We're in a hurry, I got that. Still, I have three questions now, instead of the one which you never answered. First, what stone place do you mean? Second, what on earth do you mean by "titled ones"? And lastly, how did we get here?

Apparently, someone's voice was all that the child needed to calm down. Taking a deep breath, he spoke again. "There is a stone place, farther into the desert, with a hidden room. That's where the fight will be. I'm the _Keeper of Knowledge_, that's my title. The other two are the _Forger of Strength_ and the _Juror of Wisdom_; they have the other two pieces of the sacred gift. I know who they are, but that's not important. What is important is stopping the two; neither can be allowed to rule the world! And how we got here? It's an old Sheikah trick, which I'm not allowed to explain. Now come on!"

Grabbing the Gerudo's hand once more, they vanished without a trace of their passage. This time, they arrived where they needed to be, right in front of the stone barracks in the desert.

A flash of fear erupted in the child's stomach, making him stop. The darkness surrounded the circular building offered only a hint to the darkness within. I have to keep going, though, the boy thought. Just like Father said, that night. How sometimes you have to try, even when you don't have any power. I have to try, at least. I cannot let the world fall to droughts or floods. I have to do something; after all, isn't it my fault? I was so foolish. Luckily, his control shattered, eventually. And then he sent the other pieces away, to us. So, he can't be all evil, can he? They call him a demon, but he's human too, right? He just needs his heart healed.

I just need to heal his sorrows, the child thought, determined. Right?


	13. Chapter 13

**Part the Thirteenth**

Two people gently floated down from the opening above. I paid them little mind, I had more important things to pay attention to. Ganon and I circled the room slowly, dancing as we fought, stepping in time as we played his twisted game of ball. He didn't know how strong I was, I realized. All he knew was that I was powerful. As I thought back to an old weapon of power, my blade morphed in my hands. The hilt thinned, the blade lengthened, and the metal itself became denser. As soon as the transformation was complete, I felt it. Like a bird's wing, but softer. And a joyful cry, the jubilation of stray fairies herded home, filled the air. Still I danced, but my mind followed the fairies to another place...

Grass. All around, rippling in the light wind. Clumps of flowers grew too, in whites and yellows. No one walked there, though. The field was as silent as Ilkana: abandoned. And as I danced, dodging and countering Ganon's every step, others joined us. The Gorons and the Kokiri danced to the beat of earth and life, and the ReDeads and the Gerudo spun to the lazy tune of mystery and moonlit nights. It was dark, and only hints of their forms could be seen. When one of us struck out, the sphere we tossed back and forth would blaze, illuminating the entire field. When the light shone, however, the people in the stands melted away like shadows before the dawn. Ganon saw the field, too. When we fouled, or struck out, his eyes also darted sideways to the shades. He was nervous. We fought for what seemed like days, him falling more than me. He was panting when they came.

Four more joined Dragmire and I on the field. Two for his team and two for mine. The witches circled around the field, changing it. The flowers were still there, and the shades, but the field was different. Looking around, I realized I knew the place. This was where the fates first sent me, after I'd verily demonstrated my courage. To a window that showed me the dark element of my quest. The Castle Courtyard, where all my nightmares began... The boy knew it too, as he flinched when he saw it. Briefly, I wondered why he disliked the place, but pushed the thought aside when the glowing sphere was pitched my way once more.

There was a hum in the air. The resonating sound grew stronger as my team-mates stepped forwards. Ganon startled, and as he opened his mouth to speak, I knew. I knew who the little boy of blue and red was. His dislike for the courtyard was quickly explained. I knew why I had not recognized him, much as I knew why I had barely recognized Nabooru. After all, I never saw Zelda after that day, not for seven years. So, I never would have seen the child version of her counterpart, of Sheik. And thinking again of the red and blue, I wondered if Zelda ever got to choose just what to wear, as a princess. Or if her time spent as Sheik was her first chance to be a kid, to fool around and play games like hide and seek.

I didn't listen to Ganon's speech. It would be the same, I knew. The only difference was no organ notes fading into shadow this time. He tore off his gauntlets as he spoke, eyes never leaving the boy's or mine. Sighing, I started to listen to Dragmire's words, quickly determining how far he was in his speech.

"..._hidden within you two!" _I prepared to mouth the rest of his speech with him, but surprisingly it was never said. Looking up, I saw him glaring at me with an unusual expression on his face. Jealousy? Confused, I rubbed at the back of my left hand. Suddenly, I realized. The mark on my hand was glowing. Pulsing, even. Quicker and stronger than the others' marks. And it all fell into place.

I came back to this age, after saving her future. And before the hurt, the betrayal, burnt their way into my mind I felt so hopeful, standing there. The completeness I felt, brave and strong and intelligent in the wake of my victory. Light filled the temple, even that late on a stormy night. I wished for so many things, after that night. And I got them all, didn't I? I wished to find a place, somewhere outside of Hyrule, that I might have grown to call a home. And I found Termina: another world in need of a hero, troubled by gods and bedtimes stories. All that I had wished for was somewhere else; I didn't specify whether I wanted paradise or another world in need of a pawn. And as I longed for Navi, I found another friend, another guide in Tatl. And at dawn of the fourth day, when I wished to go home, I came back to the land of my birth, though I awoke to find it not quite the same world I had left. And then... I wanted to be... alone, and I was. Even when I crossed the bridge, I could, even though the Nabooru of this world had never heard my name.

Again, I lifted up my left hand, palm inwards. This time, the powers answered my call. The Triforce left us three, and converged into its whole, above me. Reaching up, my fingers clasped it. And I smiled.


	14. Chapter 14

**Part the Fourteenth **

The boy called Sheik murmured under his breath as he watched Link take back the power of the Triforce. He had thought that everything would be okay; he was better than Dragmire, and despite the deaths, the rumors every day of more killings, more burials, she thought that he wouldn't ever really be evil. It was all just a grand mistake, like her father's death by his hands, and the burning of his home, his forest. "Who was I kidding?" Sheik whispered into the air. "_There is nothing I can do_..._"_

He let his thoughts drift back to that day, when his life as Zelda had ended, and the days as a Sheikah began. She'd left messages with the castle guards, and when she saw Link beside the drawbridge as she fled her childhood home, she had even risked tossing the precious Ocarina into the moat. Everything was done with such careful precision, to guarantee that the evil man from the desert never touched the Sacred Triangle. Everything was perfect.

And not ten minutes after her escape, Link had taken the power of the Gods for himself! Link, the boy that Zelda had erringly sent on a suicide mission. He had been so kindhearted, even as she meted out ridiculous tasks. It was all to protect the Triforce from Ganondorf; she never considered that her ray of light would be a threat. Evil or no, his heart was as light as the feather of truth, and the Triforce remained whole in his hands. All that Zelda could do was pray he had a good heart, that the Triforce would grant his good wishes.

She sneaked back into the castle late that night. Triforce or no, Link wasn't a threat; he had done exactly as she asked, after all. But standing in her garden, peeking through the spy-window, she saw Link, not quite so innocent anymore, draw a grass-green blade high and kill her father with the downstroke. And when the King of Hyrule's eyes has lost all their life, Link turned his head, glancing out the window just as Ganondorf had done, not so long before. He seemed different, in that moment, than the Link that Zelda had met in the courtyard. He seemed older, and more jaded. The child Link, the fairy-boy from Zelda's dreams was gone, and at the time, she hadn't realized just how much of a threat the new Link would become.

It was months later – two days prior – that she received news regarding Link himself. During the time between, there were reports, but those spoke little of the boy himself. Only of the deaths; every day there were new bodies, new graves. And Zelda could do nothing for her people, as young and as untrained as she was. Hiding from the surrounding threats, she could do nothing but watch as her subjects suffered, leaderless.

Sighing, the Keeper focused again on the present, waiting for the Juror to awaken in his new powers. The red-brown eyes of her disguise watched Link with a mix of fear and despair. He knew what almost certainly would come. Still, though, a part of him hoped. Even if it was worthless, he hoped. For if he despaired, there could be no redemption.

--

The power that flooded through my veins was intoxicating. It felt so perfect, so right. It was as though I was waking from a long dream, having never seen the world before. The grass glowed a vibrant green, the gentle perfume of the flowers was nearly overwhelming in its sweetness. All because of the Triforce. The ultimate power, in my hands. It was almost like wearing the Fierce Deity's Mask. The power was addicting, even so soon after the first touch. It was bliss, and it was mine and mine alone. The only doubt that remained was whether it was supposed to have been. I had been alright without it; did I need, or even deserve such a splendid gift?

The darker part of me replied, low and ominous in the back of my mind. 'And you lived, back then? Hah! You bent over backwards for a stupid girl, and her stupid dreams. You rescued the world twice over, and were sent back to face the evil again. You were used, boy.' Anger burned within me, embers flaring bright. She didn't; she couldn't have sent me back to that on purpose, I thought. She must not have realized. I started shaking as the childish desperation in the words became obvious, even to myself.

'You mean she never bothered to even consider the implications! Anyone could have realized, if they but took a moment to think. Acknowledge the truth, "Hero of Time". No one cared. They just wanted their world fixed, and when it was done, the only bit left broken was the door. And the only piece out of place was you. You were just another detail to correct, in the end. Foolish, Link. And then, you returned to your own world, and used your power to create a darker realm than even Ganon could have made. You are nothing, boy. Just a mistake, now. "A storm cloud," isn't that what your precious Zelda called you? She was right, you know, in your dreams. Lies stacked on lies. Look at your precious Zelda now, Hero. What does she think of you?'

It was a mistake to listen, to look at her. Because the cruel voice was right. Looking over at Sheik, I was horrified at what I saw. A little boy stared back at me, shaking with fear. He looked as though he thought I was going to kill him, and thinking back, he must have. I could dimly remember the feel of slick red on my hands, and a little girl's eyes peering through the narrow window, horrorstruck. And once again looking into those sad eyes, I realized just how lost I was.

In that moment, I wished to die. To fade away and leave the world in peace. That way I could do no more harm, to anyone. And as I thought that wish to myself, I felt it. In the back of my mind, another voice arose beside mine, asking a different wish. While I prayed for death, that other voice, that cruel callous tormentor, prayed for life.

As the darkness began to draw close around me, I understood. The voice, the mask, the reflection... I was no better than the Skull-Kid after all. Just a different mask, a different demon. And I hadn't realized; not once did I feel the slightest suspicion. It seemed so simple, looking back. The mindless desire to leave Termina, and return to Hyrule. My shifting moods, my dark dreams. The deity I had manipulated to save Termina had been manipulating me, to destroy Hyrule. I struggled to revoke my wish, feeling as though I were leaping through spider webs. Over and over again, I reached, clinging to life, pulling myself back towards awareness. I needed to live. I couldn't let the demon have a form, not in my homeland. Not in Hyrule.

Slowly, the light returned as I struggled with the darkness. Never before had I been forced to fight a power as strong as his; even Majora had been an easier fight. As I strained, the air around me crackled with power. As I willed myself to win, my body betrayed me. My form twisted with the twisting power, oscillating between my Hylian form and that of the demon. It hurt: a pain ten times that of transforming into Mikau or Darmani shot through me. I felt as though the blood in my veins was burning, eating through my flesh like acid. Despite the pain, I didn't dare let go. If I did, I would surely fall into the darkness forever.

The whole of the courtyard was still, the silence thick in the air. Ganon stood frozen, his arms raised to summon his next spell. The crones, Koume and Kotake, hovered in midair, only their magicks keeping them aloft. Ganon's deputy, Nabooru leaned against the side of the castle, as far from the fight as she could be. Sheik stood a little ways closer, still staring with terror writ in his red-gold eyes. There seemed to be a new emotion in the eyes, though. His fear seemed a softer fear, now. As though he was afraid for me, rather than of me. I dismissed the notion quickly. Obviously I was mistaken.

My vision slowly greyed again, colors twisting and fading into the nothingness. Still I fought, ignoring the encroaching darkness. The voice spoke to me once more. _'I have you now.' _ It said. _'In this gap between dreams and reality, soon...' _My thoughts narrowed with my sight. I cannot fail in this, I thought. No matter the cost, I cannot fail.


	15. Chapter 15

**Part the Fifteenth **

Dragmire stood, unsure, watching the demon. The boy's small form flickered, briefly changing into something else. This cannot be the Triforce, he thought, horrified. He slowly lowered his raised hands, crackling energy winking out. Despite the danger, he walked forwards, towards the shifting form of the demon. The child could not be allowed to change.

The demon's body twisted more violently as he drew near. Both halves clearly wanted control to fight him. With a smirk, Ganon stepped even closer, bring up his right hand. Two different eyes looked up at him – the left blue, and the right a pupil-less white. As the Evil King's hand clenched, calling up the magicks of his race, the right eye slowly bled back towards blue, and the boy convulsed, once more.

All around, the shades that had danced beside them appeared once more, this time staying in the light when it was cast upon them. Their shadows darkened, and their figures solidified, becoming physical forms instead of mere images. They all stopped, and looked around in wonder and fear. Then, slowly, the men and women all took places, forming a ring around the two enemies. It seemed as though they knew, confused though they were, that the two men must fight. And that neither could be allowed to leave until the other was vanquished.

Just as the King began to release the energy he'd collected for his killing blow, Link blinked, and 'woke up'. Scrambling towards the side, he lifted his sword high, the metal flashing between pale blue-green and grass green, waves of power twisting as they moved up and down the blade. Attacking with new found ferocity, he scored multiple hits against Dragmire before he was forced to retreat.

And so the battle continued on, occasionally one of the warriors falling, but always standing again. Sometimes Link's image flickered, but it seemed as though the little boy had gained the upper hand against the demon.

And finally, Ganon, the King of Evil fell, and did not rise quickly enough. Link walked over to him, his impossible past warning him that the king was not dead. He stood above the man who he had killed, once. Pressing the razor-edge of his sword against the King's neck, he smiled. Once before he had been made to kill the man, and he had done it, without reward. This time, though, he had the gift of the Goddesses themselves to repay him.

Ganon opened his eyes, hatred and weary defeat blazing in the red orbs. He slowly opened his mouth, careful of the sharp blade against his throat. Prepared to die, he intended to say his piece before he went. What man, after all, would die without promising vengeance for his murder? As he regained his breath, he spoke.

Link stood above him, still unmoving. "I will not be murdered by a kid." Dragmire stated, making it clear to the boy to expect retaliation. What he did not expect was to see the youth gasp, and drop his weapon to his side. He stepped backwards as he did, too fast, and he fell over his own feet. Within moments the boy was sitting with his back beneath the window where Ganon had first seen him, with his face buried in his hands, mumbling nonsense about demons and nightmares under his breath.

Surprised to find he remained alive, Ganondorf climbed wearily to his feet, panting heavily. In front of him, the demon-boy's image flickered again, even more violently than before. Slowly, the Hylian boy faded into the shape of another person, an ageless being that literally glowed with power. After a few agonizing minutes, Ganondorf regained his breath, and Link's transformation halted. The only visible sign that the Hylian's soul remained was the sword clutched tightly in the lad's left hand. Black roses shone on the grass-green metal, glinting with magical power. Perhaps his eyes, too, still held a trace of his former self, but with his head tucked away, there was no telling.

He was crying, Dragmire could tell, his shoulders quivering in the pre-morning light. The King startled when a low moan emerged from the boy, expecting an attack. When none came, he stepped closer again, hand rising upwards. The moans grew louder, their pitch rising with the anticipation. Ignoring the noise that pierced even his stone cold heart with its sorrow, he stepped forward once more.

The Gerudo behind him edged closer as well, scrambling to get near to the sheer power in front of them. Nabooru alone did not, but edged even farther away. She wanted no part in the fight; she did not even know the identity of the boy who fought her 'king'. And he was just a child besides, why should she care what became of him? With a glance at the boy who brought her to witness the battle, she sneered. "This is not my fight, Sheikah. Why am I here, then?" She spoke softly, so as not to attract the attention of the others.

The red-eyed child sniffed, eyes bright with unfallen tears. Nabooru nearly groaned with aggravation. "Because of... I- I don't know anymore! It all made so much sense! Get the Triforce first, so that Ganondorf could not have it. But it was stupid, child's logic. And now Link has it. That shy little boy who snuck into this place not so long ago has the Triforce. And he's not as pure-hearted as I thought he must be." With a sigh, the boy's shoulders slumped. "_I'm sorry..." _Somehow, Nabooru knew he wasn't talking to her.


	16. Chapter 16

**Part the Sixteenth**

There was pain, complete and absolute. I knew that I was supposed to keep trying, keep straining, but I couldn't remember why, there in the darkness. I wondered how long I could hold out, how long it would be before my feeble hopeless courage gave way before the will of a God. "Hero" or not, I was just a child. Just a child, swept up in the current of Time. I found myself thinking back to the day my dreams started to come true. And I wondered if I ever really had a choice in anything. I couldn't have said 'no', not to the Deku Tree. He was our father, our God. How could I have ignored his final wish, minutes after I killed him? I knew that he claimed my actions couldn't have saved him, but what if they could've? Our Guardian, our Guide. It was his duty to protect us; he couldn't rightly tell me I was a murderer, even if it were true. He served as a guardian for me, even though I wasn't truly his. In the end he fulfilled his duty. He protected his charges. And maybe, just maybe, that was what killed him.

His last wish had been for me to leave. To leave my home, and my friends. For what? To fight a war I had no part in. All the soldiers died in the wars ten years past. They killed all the soldiers, so they sent the children to fight, instead. They sent the children away into danger, and no one cared enough to say it was wrong. They were too busy selfishly casting aside their burdens, uncaring that it they might land upon another so long as they needn't rise from their perfect lives to help. So self-centered that they were willing to demand sacrifice and blood from children, without even a rupee in payment.

Ten year old boys aren't supposed to become warriors, just like fathers aren't supposed to hate their sons, and mothers aren't supposed to die. _"People are disgusting." _ It was the carpenter's son who said that, right? All that he ever wanted was happiness, something good in the world that had fallen into the dark. In the end, he got it, in the form of a mute rooster named Cojiro. And not ten minutes later, he was gone, his soul lost to the forest... Children aren't supposed to be self-dependent, because their fathers are lazy fools. Boys aren't supposed to sit under stairs and behind buildings, begging. The whole world lay in darkness; no rotten corpse's song could bring back the light. _The infinite darkness, that absorbs even time..._ and I wondered, with how much I've mangled time, and lives, and truth... Was I darkness?

The bitter misery in my gut returned. I'd been skewed and warped so many times I wasn't sure what I was, any longer, or who I was supposed to be. _The face under the mask... Your true face... _Was I supposed to be _Mr. No-Fairy, _the Kokiri with no guardian? Or _Fairy Boy_, who wakes up milkmen and sneaks into gardens? Was I _Mr. Hero_, the peasant boy the Princess dragged into her funny games? Or was I supposed to be _Link, Hero of Time, _that man that destroyed Ganon? So many names I've had, for so many days. And I was left to wonder if any of them were real. I couldn't bring myself to want any of it, now. What had those names brought me but pain? What had any of it brought but misery? I thought of the gift of the Goddesses, the gifts of the sages and the ocarina that Zelda gave to me. I didn't want any of it. I didn't deserve any of it. I didn't deserve anything but the darkness.

--

Sheik sniffed, turning to stare at Ganon with the rest of the assembled masses. The King stood still above his shuddering foe, smiling. Dark magic curled around his fingers, his forearm aglow with violet magicks. Tears threatened further as the child looked on, silent. I need to do something, he thought. But he was no fighter, and instead he closed his eyes, shoulders shaking weakly with withheld sobs.

Blinking quickly, the boy refocused on the scene. Something was happening. As he looked on, a golden light surrounded the demon-Link's form, growing brighter and more vibrant with each passing moment. A noise, like that of a heartbeat, resounded, echoing. For a moment, the light dimmed, but then it shone forth brighter than before, and the Triforce rose again above the field. It brightened the whole of the courtyard, until even the sky appeared gold. All the assembly shouted out in shock, all except Sheik. He alone looked on as though the turn of events was of no surprise. However unfazed he appeared, in truth he was as shocked as the rest, and more horrified than any. Link disowned the Triforce, he realized, amazed. He was giving up the power he was granted. Was such a thing even possible? The golden triangle hung suspended in the air, casting a golden glow over all who stood in its light. "Is this what it feels like to dwell in the Sacred Realm?" Sheik asked himself softly, his eyes wide.


	17. Chapter 17

**Part the Seventeenth **

Nabooru stood frozen in shock. She wondered at the boy who beat her king and then panicked and was nearly beat himself. This is a dream, she thought. I'll awaken, and Ganondorf will be leaving on his way to see the Hylian Lord. I'll wake up, and this nightmare will be over. My life is not this crazed! Why, though, when I see him lie there, do I feel as though I'm trapped, forced to stand aside while a good friend dies? No, I do not wish to know. Perhaps some curse has affected me, but if it has, I do not want to remember.

Her hands clenched, fingering the cool iron gauntlets she wore, remembering the feel of better gloves. She had worn them only once, in a dream, but her hands still remembered the perfect fit of the silver metal. The dream had been hazy, and only the faintest remnants stayed with her still. For one, the gloves were found in the temple, behind the tiny hole no one could pass. And second, the boy who found the gauntlets wore green, and stole them for himself, in the end. "It was dream, and nothing more." The Lone Wolf Thief whispered to herself, harsh voice attempting to convey certainty that she didn't feel, no matter how she wished it. "I will not dwell in a world made false by hopes and wishes."

--

The cruel thief known as Ganon smiled, grinning at the sight that lay before him. The boy had bested him before, but now he was defeated, a small shivering thing at the Dark King's feet, his sanity lost completely to the demon's power. This was how it was supposed to be; all the world trembling beneath his might. He had raised a hand to finish the job, feeling a nerve-wracking sense of déjà vu. And again, just as before, seconds before the pulsing magic was released, something happened. The demon's form began to glow with a strange inner light. At first, Ganon drew back, afraid the lad would manage to again wrest the upper hand. But when the golden light took form, and the Triforce shone from its resting place above the battlefield, all his worry drained away, and blissful desire overtook him.

This is my chance to take back that which was stolen, he thought. He moved quickly, a fast walk bordering on a run. No longer did he seem epitome of grandeur; the glint in his eyes betrayed his madness. And all around the people stood, silent and shivering in fear. The time had come, and once again, the end was beginning. Using his magicks, Ganon lifted himself into the air, levitating closer and closer to his prize. The golden gift shone, almost blinding. The energy came off of it in waves, and the heat was strong as the sun at Midsummer. _This power is mine... And with it, I will rule the world!_ "I am Ganondorf, the _King of Thieves_. I am the _King of Evil,_ the _Lord of Darkness_. Let the shadows come and bow to me. In this day, in this hour, I will become a God!" His speech was not heard by the people below. His laugh, however, was. And all the people shivered, and even the loyal Gerudo thieves feared the madness in their Lord's cackling.

As Ganondorf's hand came within reach of the Power of the Gods, a piercing scream ripped through the air. But still, the madman pushed on, ignoring the amber flames burning up his arm. Moments passed like hours, and then the thief's hand clenched around the Triforce. And the world stood still.

--

The races that had been assembled stood with bated breath, and not a single eye wandered from Dragmire. Not even the Kokiri fairies beat their wings or strayed. The crones still hovered above, barely holding their spellwork in joyous shock. The gold-eyed boy's sniffles had stopped, and the youth scarcely seemed to breathe as he looked on. Ganon's deputy alone seemed unsurprised by the events, and she remained silent through the other's anticipation.

The Sheikah was the one to break the silence. Still no words were uttered, but the child's harsh sobs were enough to express his opinion. The Kokiri all broke away from their own terror, and quickly gathered near the crying boy. The sweet voices of children filled the air, trying to quiet the sobs with kind and gentle words. The Gorons grinned at the youths' antics, though some still trembled in fear of what was to come. The thieves sneered at the worthless children, and returned to staring with awe at their Lord. Nabooru glanced at Sheik with something resembling pity, and after that brief look, moved to join her people. Her face distorted in a grimace, but not a moment later even that emotion faded away to a blank mask as she gazed up at the man who claimed to be her king.

Ganondorf Dragmire floated on the air's currents, the Triforce's power making the wind rise and spiral about him. His eyes were clenched shut, his right arm burned and blackened. Despite his obvious pain, though, he was smiling. Oblivious to the world around him, the Lord of Darkness grinned, happily basking in the God's strength. When he had become accustomed to the power, he frowned, and in an instant the bright warmth that filled the courtyard vanished, and a chill wind picked up. In a matter of minutes, the small wildflowers wilted, and the pale petals shriveled up in the brisk air. Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance, coming closer with each passing second. The golden sky grew dark, and even Link, dazed as he was, shivered at the feel of the Triforce's magic, twisted and blackened by Ganon's evil heart. The wind swept over the land like a fowl breath, leaving a trail of death in its wake. The Kokiri all fell silent, sadness lancing through their limbs like poison, the dying plants screaming to their souls.

Sheik choked back another sob, and with a harsh shake of his head, straightened up and brushed his tears aside. His jaw was set in a firm line, determination obvious in his expression. For Father, and for Hylia, he thought. He was prepared for what he knew must come. And standing tall, he steeled himself; he could not falter. If he was to die, he would die with dignity.


	18. Chapter 18

**Part the Eighteenth **

I felt the Triforce leave with detachment; I knew with conviction that such power should never have been mine. For a moment, the lack of power ached bitterly, but I quickly became accustomed to its absence. And then I felt freedom blossom in the pain's wake, and I was certain. I wasn't supposed to have been granted its might, ever.

It briefly crossed my mind to be concerned. The deity or Ganon could easily claim the Triforce as their own, and use its power for their evil purposes. But, surrounded as I was by darkness, I realized I didn't particularly care. Ganon could have his Dark World, and his glory. The Fierce Deity could claim this land as his domain, and there would be no more masks to lure children to their dooms. It didn't matter which won, after all. All that mattered was that the fighting would continue until only one remained. And I was sick to death of fighting. If I were to step down completely, and let them finish it, the end would be much quicker. Guiltily, I considered my world, and everything I'd even known. If I lay down, I would be betraying all of them. Faces flickered through the darkness, features blending and fading as they passed.

There were my guardians: Navi and Tatl, and the Great Deku Tree and its Sprout. None of them remained, having left or died or not arisen yet. Next, I saw my opponents: Mido, the Skull Kid, Ingo and his brethren. Some remained, and some where long gone, but I could not bring myself to care for their interests. For Mido, I felt a pang of guilt, but knowing the pain I had already caused him I doubted he would be better off if I survived. My enemies: the monsters and beasts of the fields, Majora and Ganon and the Deity within my mind. Those images flickered by without pause; I was not so kind as to care for them. Most importantly, though, I saw my friends. Saria, Darunia, Ruto, the imps of the woods, Malon, and even Kafei. I realized that I didn't know what had become of them, except Saria. Would they forgive me? I wasn't sure. That realization was enough to convince me. I barely knew them. War buddies and fair-weather friends were all that remained. And I knew that it didn't matter if they could forgive me, not when they didn't even know who I really was. The only question left to ask was if I could forgive myself.

A scream broke through the comforting darkness, and I was certain I knew whose it was. It was Ganon's, as he wrested the sacred power for himself. I sympathized, in a distant way. Magical artifacts could hurt, as I knew all too well. Especially when the magic didn't wish to be bound. One could only hope that the Triforce didn't contain an angry God's spirit, hungering for escape. At least, I thought, he will have the power to destroy the demon with the Triforce. I wonder if he will realize that he kills two souls when he destroys me.

I knew the moment that his wish formed. I could feel its power invading the darkness, could see tainted gold glowing amidst the shadow. For a moment I fought back, against the power and against the pain. I would not submit, and I most certainly would not scream. But as the pain grew strong enough to eclipse even the golden light, I found myself giving up. No one would hear anyways, I thought. But then, as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped. The pain stopped, the noise stopped, and everything began to fade away. As the golden light seeped away into darkness, I heard a voice, so quiet I was certain that I invented it. The real Zelda wouldn't apologize, not when it ought have been me begging for her forgiveness.

--

The Evil King watched, gleeful, as the body of his adversary crumpled to the ground. His only threat was vanquished, and the world lay bare at his feet. _Soon, they would know the true power of darkness._ Ganon turned to the people of his world. "The Hylian line has long been dead, and now the Goddesses have gifted me with their blessings. I am Mandrag Ganon, and I am your King." With a laugh, he surveyed his new subjects, amused by their terror. As his eyes drifted over the trembling figures, a tiny Goron fell to his knees. And all the rest bowed down with him. A few hesitated, most notably Nabooru, her fellows, and the little Sheikah whose face was still marred by tear tracks. After a moment, though, even they fell to their knees before their Lord.

Ganon stood ready to kill those who had not been quick enough to submit. But something made him pause. Something in the Sheikah boy's expression. He looked as though his world was ending, and he realized that perhaps some things truly were worse than death. It will kill them to bow to me, he thought. Perhaps that would be a more fitting end. The tense form of his deputy made Ganon laugh. "I am considering letting you live, Nabooru. It might be a good time to explain your faults."

Nabooru's eyes went wide with panic at the threatening tone. She frantically began to think her way out of her predicament. She had little time, however, and the longer she hesitated, the more certain she as that there was no hope of escape. Her mind made up, she spoke. "You're a bigger fool than I thought, Dragmire, if you plan to keep me around. How can you know I won't plan a revolution behind your back, then?" As the King of Evil narrowed his blood red eyes, she gulped. The determination drained away, and she wasn't willing to die any longer.

"Do you want to die, Nabooru?" Ganon asked, smirking as if he could indeed read her thoughts. "Do you want to be slaughtered like a lamb?" The red-haired woman shook her head, feeling more fear than she had ever experienced. She didn't want to die, not like that. She didn't want to live under him, either, but surely death wasn't the better choice. The maddened eyes loomed above her, waiting. "No." She squeaked, voice high in panic. Ganon merely stood, waiting, with a hand raised encouragingly. "I don't want to die for no reason," she said, certain that a fully formed answer was what Ganon had waited for.

With a laugh, Ganondorf stepped closer, and with a surprisingly gentle hand, he lifted up Nabooru's chin. Looking into her eyes, he spoke. "Trust me, my dear. Making an example is all I'm going to do. And surely that's reason enough, no?" The thief's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to protest. Before she could even raise a finger to defend herself, however, the King's red eyes glinted gold, and his hand tightened impossibly around his deputy's neck. The crack of bones beneath his fingers brought a smile to his lips, and he cast her body away from him without a second glance.

Turning to the others, he spoke. "Let her death be a warning to all of you. I will not allow revolutionaries in my land, and should you act even the slightest bit resistant, you will be treated as such. Without mercy." The small group seemed torn between rage and terror. In the end, of course, terror won out, and they huddled together, fear making them weak. Turning to the less panicked of his new subjects, he quickly chose a pair of Gorons to remove his ex-deputy's body. They looked about to protest, but, glancing at the traitor's still form, quickly swallowed their complaints.

--

The masquerading princess watched, horrified as Nabooru's corpse was carried from the courtyard. The red gold eyes of the youth were dimmed with sorrow, his tears distorting the vibrant color. He was scared, and felt ill with guilt. He shouldn't be so relieved that Ganon thought the Hylian line was dead. He had thought that perhaps in dying with dignity he could honor his ancestry. After witnessing Nabooru's end, however, fear kept him from stepping forwards. I'm sorry, Father, he thought, eyes closing in misery. I need to live, for my people and for myself. And dignity cannot accompany me, there. I'm so sorry.

With a fierce glare, Ganon looked around the assembly, seemingly impatient. His subjects slowly stirred, breaking free of the bonds of terror. Though before it had been a Goron to break the silence, none stood forwards now, and with a hopeless look at her companions, a young Kokiri girl stepped forwards. All of the Gerudo stood still, as though they knew what must happen. No one moved to take the girl's place, and with a last wide-eyed glance around, she knelt. "Your highness?" She asked. The King turned to look at her, and with a squeak of fear, the girl ducked her head. After a moment, the man spoke.

"The world is to know of my rule by nightfall tomorrow. Should any of you, or your fellow men consider disobedience, remember. Obey me, and you may live your lives unhindered. But if you wish to rebel out of honor or idiocy, I can make your worst dreams reality. All it takes is a simple wish..." The King of Evil chuckled, basking in his subjects' fear. With an amused smile, he addressed the crowd once more.

His threat sent chills up the masquerading princess's spine. I'm must live, Father, she thought. Even if I must bow, and cast aside all dignity, I cannot abandon my people to this. I always thought things would turn out alright; I assumed the light would be strong enough to drive back the darkness. Now, though, it looks as though shadow will rule forever. She let out a final sob, and wiped the tears from her face. Struggling to compose herself, she whispered. "I'm sorry I've failed you... Father, Impa, Nabooru... But most of all, Link, I'm so sorry..."

And as the Princess of Hyrule bowed her head to her new King, the world sensed its doom. The impending darkness grew closer, and as shadow sealed itself over the land, the first drop of rain fell.

* * *

The End.


End file.
